Evil in the Endzone
by Fegerrific
Summary: The Coolsville Bowl is the biggest sporting event in town, and the gang has free tickets! But before kickoff, a vengeful zombie interrupts the game! And when the star quarterback is injured, Mystery Incorporated must step up their game and foul out this freaky phantom before the final buzzer!
1. The Coolsville Bowl

"I can't believe that Coach Richards gave us free tickets to see the Coolsville Cavaliers play!" Fred exclaimed, flicking on his turn signal to screech around a corner.

"He seemed very adamant that we come," Velma mused. "What's the occasion?"

"It's only the Coolsville Bowl, where we face off against our biggest rival, the Crystal Cove Fighting Urchins!" Fred replied excitedly. "The winner receives the Coolsville Trophy, a hand-carved, solid gold cup overlaid with millions of sparkling diamonds! Its only a once-in-a-season opportunity!"

Shaggy shoveled a handful of Scooby Snacks in his mouth. "Like, what's a cavalier, anyway?" Shaggy asked between bites.

"Here, it means a gallant gentleman, like a knight," Velma explained. "I didn't know you two were interested in sports."

"Like, we're not," Shaggy said. "But, like, Scooby Snacks are sponsoring the game, so we thought we'd, like, show our support." Scooby barked in agreement as Fred steered the Mystery Machine into the packed parking lot.

"There's supposed to be a halftime show, too," Daphne read off the ticket. She slipped on a pair of designer sunglasses and exited the van.

"And best of all, no monsters!" Fred finished, waving a neon yellow foam finger as the gang headed into the stadium.

Inside, the gang was shocked to see an influx of police officers searching every fan entering the game. "Jeepers," Daphne exclaimed. "What's going on?"

Fred waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, these games probably attract all sorts of shambling lowlifes. They're just here for security's sake." He stepped forward and was soon giggling loudly as the officer frisked him. Velma put her arms up reluctantly to be searched as well. Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby followed suit.

"Like, can you believe it, Scoob?" Shaggy moaned as the gang headed inside. "They, like, took my three boxes of nacho-flavored Scooby Snacks! Obviously they have no respect for corporate sponsorship!"

"Ro resrect!" Scooby barked with disgust as the gang headed to their seats in the stands.


	2. Football Fiend

The teams filed onto the field to the cheering, shouting crowd. "Welcome to Coolsville Stadium for the Coolsville Bowl!" the announcer shouted over the cheers. "Before the kickoff, we'd like to invite a few local celebrities to the field: The spook-tacular sleuths of Mystery Incorporated!" The gang's shocked expressions appeared on the giant video screens as the crowd roared their approval.

Down on the field, the Cavaliers' coach, Stanley Richards, shook the gang's hands (and paws.) "Just wanted to say thank you for putting Coolsville on the map." The gang blushed while the audience cheered. "I'm sure we'll have an interesting game," he said with a wry smile and a wink.

At these words, a hideous specter dashed onto the field. It wore a shredded and torn football uniform and held a punctured football in its claw-like fingers. A cracked football helmet covered a rotting, skeletal face. "Ssssstop thiiiissssss gaaame or faccce my wrathhhh!" the creature hissed before emitting an otherworldly howl and racing off the field.

"Seal off the exits!" Fred commanded. "Don't let anyone in or out!"

Coach Richards fell to his knees as security raced off to fulfill the order. "This is terrible!" he wailed. "We'll have to call off the game!"

"There's no way!" the referee screeched, dashing over to the assembled group. "There's billions of dollars wrapped up in sponsorship and advertising deals! We can't pull out now!"

"Can we help?" Fred asked. "We have some experience with this sort of thing."

Coach Richards stood, hope gleaming in his eyes. "You'll do it? You'll take the case?"

"We'll have that monster captured by halftime!" Velma declared.

"Great!" the coach declared. "I'll have the announcers inform the audience of what happened. While we do that, you five go down below to see if you can find that freaky football fiend."

Once below the stadium, Fred turned to the rest of the gang. "Let's split up. Shaggy, you and Scooby go check out the locker rooms. Daphne, Velma and I will check up on the main level."

"Like, can't we switch that?" Shaggy protested. "All the snack bars are, like, on the main level!"

"Reah! Rizza, roprorn, rand rachos!" Scooby barked.

Fred gave the two a glare. "Fine, like, locker rooms it is," Shaggy said with a sigh.


	3. Time Out?

"Rello?" Scooby called as he nosed his way into the Cavaliers' locker room.

A sandy-haired, well-toned man wearing a tank top and football pants poked his head out from behind a bank of lockers. "Hello? Can I help you?" he asked curiously. "What are you even doing in here? This room is for Cavaliers only."

"Sorry, man. I'm Shaggy and, like, this is Scooby-Doo. Would you believe we're looking for a phantom?"

The man scratched Scooby behind the ears. "No, I can't say that I believe you," he said with a chuckle. "I'm Cody Stanton, the Cavaliers quarterback." He tugged on a navy jersey emblazoned with the number 25. "I've been down here getting ready, so I didn't see this so-called 'phantom.'"

"Getting ready?" Shaggy asked. "The game's already started!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Cody shouted. "I'm late!" Snatching his helmet and cleats, he breezed past the dog-and-detective duo in blind panic.

Shaggy and Scooby watched him go. "Like, and I thought I was bad at being on time," Shaggy said. "Let's go see if we can find Fred and the girls. And maybe stop at the snack bar on our way back!"

"Mmm-mmmm! Rizza, ropcorn rand rachos!" Scooby exclaimed.


	4. Cheers, Jeers & Fears

"Stanton! Where have you been?!" Coach Richards roared as his star player raced onto the field, nearly running over the approaching Fred, Velma and Daphne.

"Sorry, coach," Cody gasped. "Not like you'd care if I dropped off the earth," he muttered under his breath.

The coach placed his hands on his hips. "I heard that. You still on about that dang contract again? Look, I'm sorry I had to cancel your contract, but you're just not playing well. And showing up late like this doesn't quite help your case. Now get out there and win us this thing and I MIGHT reconsider!"

Cody took off into the game with a scowl while Fred and the girls watched. "Hey, coach, if you're kicking Stanton off the team, I can step up for him!" a weaselly-looking raven-haired player on the bench exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, Ripley," Coach Richards said dismissively. "You've only told me a couple thousand times."

"But I can do so much more than starting benchwarmer!" he whined before the coach shushed him with a gesture.

"Hmmm. I think we've got our first suspects," Velma murmured as Shaggy and Scooby rejoined the group, popcorn in hand. "Let's see what Coach Richards says."

At the sound of Velma's voice, the coach turned around. "Please tell me you kids have something!"

"A few suspects," Fred replied. "We need to see if we can find some clues."

"Clues like this?" the coach asked, holding up a dirty blue and gold pom-pom. "The Football Phantom dropped it on his way off the field."

"Hmmmm…" Velma took the pom-pom and studied it. "I don't remember seeing the phantom drop anything at all," she mused. "But we do need to check this out."

As the Cavaliers and Knights battled it out on the field, the gang headed over to the sidelines, where a dozen women dressed in navy-blue tops and golden skirts cheered in unison. Velma was quick to notice that one cheerleader, a tall, willowy blonde, shook only one pom pom, while her fellow cheerleaders held two.

"Miss!" Fred called after the cheer was finished. The blonde gave the gang an inquisitive look before flouncing over to them, her nose wrinkled in annoyance.

"I'm the head cheerleader, Shawna McAvoy. Can I help you?" she asked in a slightly prissy voice. "We're trying to cheer here." Velma held up the dirty pom pom for the girl to examine. "That's mine!" she exclaimed, snatching it from Velma's hands. "What did you DO to get it so FILTHY?!"

Velma put her hands on her hips. "We'd like to ask you the same question, Ms. McAvoy. This was found on the field after the Football Phantom vanished. Coach Richards said that the Phantom dropped it as he left the field."

A look of concern passed over Shawna's flawless face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of utter disgust as she let out a horrified squeal. "EEWWW! That was in the hands of that disgusting Phantom?!" She tossed the pom pom away and began wiping her hands on her gold skirt. "Get it away! With the tip of her immaculate tennis shoes, she kicked the filthy bundle away from her and dashed away like the Phantom was chasing her.

"Like, that was interesting," Shaggy remarked around a mouthful of popcorn.

"And it didn't help us one bit," Daphne moaned.

"Oh, I'm not so sure," Velma corrected. "I think we need to keep a closer eye on Ms. McAvoy. She's not telling us the whole story."

"I'll offer!" Fred called, waving a hand stupidly, desisting when Daphne "accidentally" trod on his foot.


	5. Zombie Attack!

While the gang bickered on the sidelines, the referee's whistle indicated a time out. As the Cavaliers ambled off the field, the coach pointed to Cody. "Stanton! Go get the water for the team!" he ordered.

The quarterback glared furiously at the coach. "It's not enough that you're kicking me off the team, you're making me the water boy, too?"

"Zip it, Stanton! Get going!" Grumbling all the way, Cody jogged off the field.

As the teams huddled up to discuss strategy, the stadium lights went out, plunging the stadium into utter darkness. The audience screamed in horror until the lights came up to reveal the Football Phantom standing in the middle of the field. The hideous creature addressed the crowd. "I warrrrrned you to sssstop thisssss gaaaame! Now sssssuffffffer my wrathhhhh!" With that, the lights went out again, allowing the Phantom to make its escape.

As security turned on the lights, a shout came from the Cavaliers locker room. "HELP! MONSTER!" The gang raced towards the cry to find Cody sprawled on the ground, surrounded by a puddle of water and a stack of crushed cups. "I was getting the water like Coach asked, when the lights went out and this freaky zombie comes out of nowhere! He knocked me down and I think he broke my ankle!"

Coach Richards jogged up to the scene. "The middle of the Coolsville Bowl and my quarterback gets injured by a zombie?! Please tell me this is a dream!"

"Afraid not. Can you get a replacement?" Fred asked with concern.

The coach frowned. "I think so. Probably Ripley, he'll be thrilled…too bad the rulebook doesn't cover injury by supernatural creatures," he chuckled weakly. "Get some ice on that ankle, champ."

Supported by two Cavaliers, Cody stumbled towards the training room, leaving Mystery Incorporated alone outside the locker room. "Hmmm…" mused Daphne. "With Cody injured, Ripley finally gets to play."

"Can't be a coincidence," Fred replied. "Hey, what's this?" he bent down to examine a small black object on the ground by the stack of cups. "What do you make of it, Vel?"

Velma took the mysterious object from Fred. It was made of black plastic and featured one large red button. Curiously, she pressed it and the lights went out all over the stadium. She pressed it again and the lights turned on again. "Jinkies! It's a remote control for the stadium lights. This must be how the Football Phantom makes his 'mood lighting.'"

"He must have dropped it when he ran into Cody," Fred finished. "What a clue!"


	6. Curses & Conundrums

Cody flinched in pain as the athletic trainer bandaged his injured ankle. "That sore's pretty tender," the trainer said matter-of-factly as Mystery Incorporated trouped into the training room. "But there's no swelling, so I don't think it's broken. We can take you in for x-rays if you want."

"What does it matter?" the quarterback sighed. "I'm out of the game, and probably off the team, too."

"Can you tell us about the zombie?" Fred asked. "Did you get a good look at him?

Cody grimaced. "Not really. I remember he had on a shredded white jersey with the number 32 on it." Musing thoughtfully, Cody nibbled on his bottom lip. "Who wore 32? Wasn't that Hank Davis?"

"Hank Davis?" Daphne asked. "I remember that name."

"Of course you do!" Fred exclaimed. "He was only the best quarterback the Coolsville Cavaliers ever had!"

"Best quarterback, worst criminal. You should remember the scandal," Cody said. "They found out that he was embezzling money from the Cavaliers and locked him up. He died in prison, but not before he swore that he would get his revenge on the Cavaliers, even if it meant from beyond the grave."

Daphne shuddered. "Sounds creepy!"

"CODY!" came a shout as Shawna McAvoy rushed into the training room, dropping her pom-pom with a rustle. "I heard you got hurt! What happened?"

"I ran into that freaky phantom and just twisted my ankle a bit, Shawna. I'm fine." Cody turned to the gang. "Guys, this is my girlfriend, Shawna McAvoy. She's the Cavaliers' head cheerleader."

"We've met," Shawna replied coldly before returning her attention to her boyfriend. "I told you, Cody. I said you needed to quit playing before you got hurt," Shawna whined.

Tenderly, Cody took her face into his hands and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, honey. When this game is over, I'm out of football for good. Now you'd better get back on the field and cheer us to victory!" Shawna grinned broadly and raced back onto the field.

"And, like, we'd better get back to the snack bar before they run out of nachos!" Shaggy interjected. Scooby barked his agreement. Fred, Velma and Daphne rolled their eyes and dragged the two out onto the field.


	7. Pass, Incomplete

The gang strolled onto the field in time to see Ripley complete an astounding pass. "With Cody injured, benchwarmer Ripley finally gets to play," Daphne said. "Hmmmm…"

"And we can't forget about Shawna," Fred replied. "She said that she wanted Cody out of football before he got hurt. What better way to insure that than hurting him herself? And the fact that she only has one pom pom makes me suspicious. I think its time to set a trap for this sporty spook!" Fred exclaimed.

During the next time-out, Fred, Daphne and Velma made a plan to catch the Football Phantom. "Okay, gang," announced Fred. "Shaggy, you and Scooby will lure the Football Phantom onto the field. We'll be waiting with the field goal net. When the monster rushes onto the field, we'll toss the net onto him and unmask him! It's foolproof!"

"Where have we heard that before?" Velma muttered.

"Like, no way! Negatory! Not gonna happen!" Shaggy shouted. Scooby barked in agreement.

One bribe of Scooby Snacks later, Shaggy and Scooby were prowling the stadium, looking for the Football Phantom. "Like, why do we always accept, Scoob?" Shaggy asked his four-legged pal.

"Rooby racks raste rood?" he replied.

"Yes, they do taste good," Shaggy translated. "But good enough to warrant wandering around a spooky stadium looking for a sports-playing spook?"

"Rope!" Scooby barked.

"Oh well, no sign of him," Shaggy said a little too quickly. "Let's get back to the snack bar." As the duo turned around, they found themselves face-to-skeletal-face with the Football Phantom! "ZOINKS! Like, GANGWAAY!" Shaggy took off running with Scooby and the Football Phantom hot on his tail.

Fred and the girls tightened their grip on the net as the sound of running footsteps grew louder and louder. Shaggy ducked under the net as Fred and the girls gave it a toss. "Oh no!" Velma moaned. "We caught Scooby-Doo!"

"Reddling rids…ree-hee-hee-hee-hee!" Scooby chuckled, untangling himself from the net.

The Football Phantom raced onto the field with a snarl. Fred leaped up to tackle the creature, but it dodged him with ease and raced down to the endzone. Out of nowhere, a football caught the monster in the stomach, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"Pass incomplete to the Football Phantom," the announcer shouted into the microphone.

"Nice shot, Coach!" Velma shouted over the crowd's applause.

Coach Richards grinned. "Thanks. I played football before I became the coach. I'm shocked I still have the wrist for it."

The gang gathered around the dazed zombie. "Now it's time to see who this Football Phantom really is. Coach, would you like to do the honors?" Fred asked.

"Gladly," the coach said with a smile, twisting the helmet off the monster. The crowd gasped as one as the culprit's scowling face was projected onto the jumbo video screen.


	8. The Mystery Is Revealed!

"Cody Stanton," Velma proclaimed. "Just as I thought."

"But how did you know?" the coach asked.

"I think we'd all like to know that," the referee said, bringing Velma a microphone.

Velma's voice boomed over the arena and the crowd fell silent. "My first clue was the pom-pom dropped by the Football Phantom. It belonged to Shawna McAvoy, which made her a prime suspect. However, as she and Cody are dating, it made sense that he would have access to her equipment.

"I first began to suspect Cody when I heard him discussing his contract issues with Coach Richards. He probably realized we were onto him, so he faked his injury to throw us farther off the trail, but he didn't count on us unmasking him."

Shawna raced over from the sidelines, glaring down at her boyfriend "Why did you do this?" she demanded.

"Because when the Cavaliers started making it big, I was supposed to step into the spotlight," Cody snarled. "But Coach Richards cancelled my contract and was going to kick me off the team. So I decided to use the old Hank Davis legend to scare everyone away and get the Coolsville Bowl cancelled. When all the sponsorship and advertising deals went south because of the cancellation, Coach Richards would have been ruined!"

Coach Richards raised an eyebrow. "And?"

The costumed quarterback sighed. "Oh, right. And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids and your dumb dog!" He looked up at Shawna with pleading eyes. "Wait for me?"

Shawna gave a mirthless chuckle. "Dream on, Stanton," she said, turning her back on him.

Amid boos and hisses from the crowd, Cody hung his head and allowed security to lead him off the field.


	9. Touchdown!

With Cody safely behind bars and the Cavaliers up by seven points, the Super Bowl finally seemed to be on track. Fred placed two fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly as the Cavaliers scored a touchdown before the halftime buzzer blared.

Coach Richards strode to the center of the field. "Before we begin our halftime show, I'd like to invite the super sleuths of Mystery Incorporated to join me down on the field." The crowd roared with cheers and applause as the four sleuths and Scooby made their way to the field.

"Thank you for solving the mystery of the Football Phantom," the coach said with a smile. "I would say that you saved the Coolsville Bowl, but that's not quite the case."

The gang looked puzzled. "Your quarterback tried to stop the game and leave you penniless!" Fred exclaimed.

Coach Richards gave them a sly smile. "Not exactly." He turned to the audience. "Should we tell them?" The audience answered with a resounding yes. "We couldn't exactly let Coolsville host a major event and not have Mystery Incorporated solve a spooky mystery!"

Velma slapped a hand to her forehead. "You mean everything was faked!? The whole mystery was a sham?"

"Exactly," Cody said, striding onto the field with Shawna. "No one's kicking me off the team or cancelling my contract. And Shawna doesn't want me to quit playing football."

Ripley joined the group. "I'm not starting benchwarmer, either. In fact, I'm even better than Cody."

Cody gave his teammate a playful shove. "Get out of here," he teased.

"You all played your parts admirably," Coach Richards said with a smile. "Let's give a hand to the sleuths of Mystery Incorporated!" The crowd roared with applause while the gang blushed. "And now, I'm pleased to announce the halftime entertainment, The HEX GIRLS!"

As the eco-goths took the stage, Cody grabbed Shawna's hand and steered her out to the field for a dance as the opening chord to "Trap of Love" echoed through the stadium. Fred began an awkward two-step with Daphne while Shaggy and Velma danced together.

"Poor Scooby," Coach Richards sighed.

"Poor Scooby?" Shaggy asked, twirling Velma around the 50-yard line. "He's got better moves than all of us!"

Scooby had grabbed the Football Phantom costume and began a silly dance with it, its rubbery limbs flailing everywhere. "Scooby-rooby-ROO!" he barked as the assembled group laughed.


	10. Epilogue: Final Score

Stanton leads Cavaliers to Bowl victory

by Nancy Chang

With a final score of 49 to 21, Cody Stanton scored the winning touchdown at last night's Coolsville Bowl game. Stanton had, earlier in the evening, masqueraded as a zombie football player to enact revenge on his coach for kicking him off the team. However, it was all a planned publicity stunt cooked up as a clever ruse and an excuse to have the famous sleuths of Mystery Incorporated solve yet another spooky mystery. Stanton has no plans for revenge, nor is Coach Richards removing Stanton from the team.


End file.
